Bahlool, the Wise, and the Caliph

A man, preparing for a journey, entrusted the Caliph with 100 gold coins, saying, “Keep this money safe for me until I return.” The Caliph agreed and took the coins.

A year later, the man returned and asked for his money. The Caliph replied, “My dear friend, the mice ate your gold.”

The man exclaimed, “How is it possible that the mice ate only my gold and not yours?” Furious, the Caliph threw the man out, shouting, “Get lost! You never gave me any money!”

The distraught man turned to the townsfolk, who advised him, “Go to Bahlul and tell him your story. He will surely help you.”

The man visited Bahlul and narrated his ordeal. Bahlul reassured him, “Go home and rest. I will get your gold back for you.”

Bahlul then approached the Caliph and said, “O Caliph, I plan to take all the children in the city on an outing to the countryside today. Please allow your sons to join us.”

The Caliph agreed and said, “Take all three of my sons.”

That evening, Bahlul returned all the children to their homes but locked the Caliph’s sons in his own quarters. He barred the door and kept them there.

That night, the Caliph came to Bahlul, frantic. “Where are my sons?” he demanded.

Bahlul replied calmly, “The animals ate your sons.”

Shocked, the Caliph exclaimed, “How is that possible? Why would they eat my sons but not the other children?”

Bahlul smiled and said, “Just as it was possible for the mice to eat the gold coins of that poor man but leave yours untouched.”

The Caliph, understanding the wisdom in Bahlul’s words, quickly returned the man’s gold in exchange for his sons. Through Bahlul’s cleverness, the man recovered his money.